Activists call for action on 'honour' killings

Louise Nousratpour
Friday March 26, 2010
The Morning Star

Iraqi women activists have marked the third anniversary of the brutal stoning of a Kurdish teenage girl in northern Iraq by demanding action against all forms of misogynist violence.

Du'a Khalil Aswad was dragged to her death in broad daylight by her male relatives on April 7 2007 for daring to fall in love with a boy outside her religion.

Activists and academics gathered in London's SOAS university on Thursday night to remember all victims of "honour" killings.

Du'a's murder was caught on mobile phone cameras and sent to "every woman" in the area as a warning, Houzan Mahmoud of Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq told the meeting.

"We are here to send a strong message to the perpetrators that we will not rest until they are brought to justice and until all women are safe," she vowed.

Ms Mahmoud blamed the increased violence on the US-backed "ethno-sectarian religious" government, adding: "People's identities have been politicised to divide and rule the population while reactionary family laws are introduced to keep women oppressed."

SOAS lecturer and activist Nadja Al-Ali warned of a "huge backlash" against women's rights in the Middle East since the so-called war on terror was unleashed in 2001.

"The US-led invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq was pitched as liberating women but the louder George Bush shouted about women's right, the greater was the backlash," she said.

Ms Al-Ali argued that the deterioration of women's situation in Iraq and the shift from a secular society to a deeply religious one could be traced back to 1990 and the start of the 13-year-long UN economic sanctions.

She said: "The sanctions was in itself a form of violence and contributed to intensified state oppression, an explosion in religiousity, and rolled back women's rights."

Hidden Herstories proves a hit

by John Millington
Wednesday March 17, 2010
The Morning Star

Hidden Herstories proved a great success at Bolivar Hall with nearly 100 people turning out to watch the film at an event co-hosted by the Star to mark International Women's Day.

The film showcases four women - Octavia Hill, Amy Ashwood Garvey, Jayaben Desai and communist Claudia Jones - who inspired its young creators to tell their stories.

It draws together a mixture of interviews with academics, activists and original footage of the women making a contribution to London and the wider community.

Beginning the evening, Morning Star equalities reporter Louise Nousratpour (pictured) set the tone by reciting inspirational poems from Iranian director Forugh Farrokhzad.

And, after the film screening, an informative Q and A session gave people the opportunity to talk to some of the young people involved in making the film, who recalled how history at school only ever seemed to focus on the Tudors and Victorian monarchs.

They chose to focus on women whose achievements would have been remembered if they were white men - such as Jones, a Trinidad-born member of the US and British Communist Parties, who founded the Notting Hill Carnival, and Desai, who led the Grunwick strike of Asian women in 1976.

Chairing the discussion, Morning Star education reporter Lizzie Cocker thanked the Venezuelan embassy for co-sponsoring the event.

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn labelled the British history syllabus a "tyranny," encouraging the development of further projects such as Hidden Herstories.

'Worse than under the Taliban'

Louise Nousratpour in Eastbourne
Friday March 12, 2010
The Morning Star

Eight years of war and occupation in the name of liberation have done nothing to protect women in Afghanistan from violence and poverty, delegates to the TUC women's conference have said.

The country is still at war with no economy to speak of and democracy is a shameful facade where Nato puppet Hamid Karzai won last year's election amid allegations of vote-rigging, conference heard.

The Afghan president is said to have little control over the capital Kabul, let alone the rest of the country.

FBU delegate Vicky Knight said: "In this chaos, women's rights are seen as something that can be traded away so the international coalition can find an exit strategy."

Unison speaker Kathrina Murray warned that Afghanistan was "the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman and perhaps the only country where suicide is higher among women than men.

"And Karzai is moving the country further away from democracy and women's liberation with the full support of the international community."

Mr Karzai passed a law last August which opponents said makes women's situation "worse than under the Taliban."

Under the law, rape in marriage is legal, only fathers and grandfathers are granted custody of children and women must have their husband's permission before they can work or study.

Ms Knight called on the TUC and affiliates to raise awareness within their membership of the current situation in Afghanistan and to support sympathetic organisations attempting to make positive changes for women in the country.

She also urged unions to lobby the government to "put pressure on their Afghan peers on the issue of equality.

Conference toasts 80 years of the Star

Louise Nousratpour in Eastbourne
Friday March 12, 2010
The Morning Star

WOMEN trade unionists celebrated the 80th birthday of the Morning Star at a TUC women’s conference fringe meeting in Eastbourne on Thursday evening.

NUJ delegate and PPPS management committee member Anita Halpin opened the session with a brief history of the newspaper and its vital role in the labour movement.

She argued that the Morning Star, through its online presence and international subscription, could help strengthen solidarity with movements around the world.

South African ANC MP and Communist Party member Joyce Moloi-Moropa spoke about her country's struggle against inequality and social deprivation.

She reported that progressive women's organisations were engaged in policy-making and that the government was tightening the system to improve laws around domestic violence.

Community-based programmes were also empowering ordinary people to improve health and education in their area.

"We are faced with many challenges," Ms Moloi-Moropa said, highlighting the scarcity of drinking water and land as major problems.

"We have to rely on neighbouring countries for water and most of the land is privately owned, making housing development programmes very expensive."

Ms Moloi-Moropa stressed that progressive politicians like herself were working hard to ensure that solutions to the country's problems were based on a socialist agenda.

"Because we believe that for South Africa, socialism is the future," she declared.

Ms Halpin highlighted that the media in South Africa was as right-wing and hostile to progressive policies as most other countries.

Veteran socialist and feminist Mary Davis stressed the importance of an international women's movement to fight capitalism "which can only survive through dividing the working class along the lines of gender and race."

She called for a "bottom-up mobilisation around the agenda outlined in the People's Charter and the charter for women.

"We should pressure every single parliamentary candidate to take a stand on these progressive demands if they want our vote at the general election."

Ms Davis, who chaired this year's TUC women's conference, expressed disappointment in Equalities Minister Harriet Harman's address to conference earlier on Thursday.

"The essence of her argument was that the Tories are much worse than Labour. We know that. The question is will Labour still implement the draconian spending cuts?

"We say, don't do it. Make the bankers pay for the crisis."

O'Grady calls for 'equality and fairness, not free market greed'

Louise Nousratpour in Eastbourne
Thursday March 11, 2010

TUC deputy leader Frances O'Grady argued that Labour could secure a new term in office if it pledged a "new kind of economy" where equality and fairness took the place of free-market greed.

"This is my first address to the TUC women's conference as an official as opposed to a delegate," she said in Eastbourne.

In her speech, Ms O'Grady covered much of conference concerns on the economy, violence against women, eroding working conditions and the rising threat of the far-right BNP.

She said: "Our fight for fairness and equality is going to have an even greater significance this year as we are little more than six weeks away from a general election.

"This is probably the most important election in a generation.

"It's an election where the votes of women will be absolutely vital."

Ms O'Grady blamed the financial crisis on private-sector greed "inspired by free-market dogma" and urged solidarity with all those unions, including the PCS and Unite's BA cabin crew members, engaged in the fight to protect their jobs and working conditions.

"The crisis was manufactured by rich, male bankers, but its impact is felt most by the poor and ordinary working people," she railed.

"But we will not stand by and let ordinary people pay the price," Ms O'Grady added to applause.

Women delegates demand support for victims

Louise Nousratpour in Eastbourne
Thursday March 11, 2010
The Morning Star

THE TUC women's conference has demanded action to address the "shocking failures" of local authorities in providing adequate support services for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Delegates in Eastbourne also condemned the increasing sexualisation of girls and young women in the media as highlighted by a Home Office report last month.

The UN Convention to Eliminate Discrimination against Women has repeatedly identified the link between the portrayal of women as sex objects and attitudes that underpin violence and discrimination against women, conference heard.

Speaking on a motion on sexualisation of young girls, NASUWT delegate Joanna Wright urged the TUC to raise awareness about the connection between sexual violence and the objectification of girls and women.

Speakers welcomed the launch of a government strategy in 2009 to tackle all forms of violence against women as well as its pledge to introduce awareness of domestic abuse to the classroom.

But they agreed that more needs to be done, especially in tackling the postcode lottery of services for victims.

Conference urged local authorities not to use the recession to cut resources for support services and crisis centres, which are already desperately underfunded and facing closures.

FBU delegate Jo Byrne urged the government to ensure councils provide "a steady stream of funding" for women services.

"In this recession such services are worst hit by cuts and the chasm of inequality just grows and grows," she said.

"Domestic abuse accounts for a fifth of all violent crimes and has the highest level of repeat victimisation."

CPS speaker Kim Gainsborough called for better training programmes for front-line staff to improve support for victims and urged the TUC to offer "short training packages" to union activists.

Women's vote can 'stop fascist BNP'

Louise Nousratpour in Eastbourne
Thursday March 11, 2010
The Morning Star

UNIONS must mobilise women's vote to stop the "sexist, homophobic and racist" BNP advancing in the general election, the TUC women's conference has urged.

Delegates stressed the importance of the female vote, pointing to recent surveys showing that women are far more likely to vote for Labour or a left-wing candidate than men.

Conference warned that the BNP was taking advantage of increased social deprivation and unemployment in white working-class areas to gain support for its poisonous and devisive policies.

It stressed the importance of campaigning and organising in those communities, where people may feel abandoned by the Labour Party and the wider left movement.

Unite delegate Yvonne Swingler said: "Social deprivation, institutional racism and unemployment are BNP tools to create division among us and unions must address that by looking into how to build links with these communities.

"Let us make this election a referendum against the BNP and remove them from our councils and communities," she added.

Unions are particularly worried about BNP leader Nick Griffin's bid to become an MP for east London's Barking and Dagenham borough, where the party already has a dozen councillors.

Bectu speaker Arti Dillon said: "The Barking BNP councillors hardly ever turn up to meetings and are claiming massive expenses without doing anything to address social issues in the area."

She also stressed the importance of supporting her union's no-platform policy for fascists in the wake of the BBC decision to allow Mr Griffin a voice on its prestige Question Time programme last October.

NUT delegate Sally Kincaid recalled how her car had been firebombed in 2002 after her photograph, address and car registration number were posted on the Redwatch website, which carries the details of hundreds of anti-fascist activists.

Rather than being intimidated into hiding her identity and changing her address, she said she had decided to go public and expose the criminal nature of the fascists.

"With my family, we decided that we could not hide. We could not do this to our black brothers and sisters who cannot change the colour of their skin if they are targeted by fascists," Ms Kincaid said to a standing ovation.

"We have to continue the fight and remember that there are far, far more of us than there are fascists."

Davis draws connection with revolutionary past

Louise Nousratpour in Eastbourne
Wednesday March 10, 2010
The Morning Star

IN an inspiring speech to TUC women's conference on Wednesday, chairwoman Mary Davis called on the sisters to carry the mantle of struggle for equality and socialism handed down by our revolutionary predecessors.

"This is a very significant year historically," she told delegates in Eastbourne.

"It's the centenary of the International Women's Day (IWD) and the centenary of the victory of the women's chainmakers' strike.

"It is also the 80th anniversary of our women's conference - our Parliament for working women.

"But this is also a significant conference on a personal level," Ms Davis said, before announcing that she was stepping down from the TUC women's committee and as University and College Union (UCU) delegate after decades in the movement.

The labour historian summarised revolutionary women's struggles in the past, focusing on "heroines" Sylvia Pankhurst, Clara Zetkin - who established the IWD at the 1910 Copenhagen conference of the Second International - and chainmakers' strike leader Mary Macarthur.

She described Zetkin and Pankhurst as "early socialist feminists" who understood the importance of connecting the struggle for women's rights to the struggle for socialism.

"There was a link between the struggle against women's oppression and the struggle against class exploitation," she said.

"We should bear this in mind in all our campaigning today."

Ms Davis argued that "the motivation for the IWD came from two sources - the struggle of working-class women to form trade unions and the fight for women's franchise."

Fastforwarding to 2010, she argued that "the struggle for effective suffrage and effective trade unionism still continues. There has been some progress, but we have a long way to go."

She backed her claim by highlighting Britain's "atrocious" failure to ensure women's representation, especially black sisters, in Parliament and other decision-making bodies.

"Trade unions also have a pretty poor record. Women's membership remains steady and rising, but we haven't got proportionality," she noted.

Ms Davis also condemned the "shocking" gender pay gap, domestic violence and political parties' slash-and-burn plans for the public sector, which she warned would increase the feminisation of poverty.

"In this election year, we have to unite around our agenda as outlined in the Charter for Women and put those policies forward to any politician who is trying to campaign for our vote.

"For us, the price of progress, particularly on equality, is internal vigilance. We must carry on, we must fight as our formers did."